In the second meeting between the two teams this season, No. 9 Illinois (19-3, 10-1) claimed a 78-69 victory over No. 5 Nebraska (20-2, 9-2) at Pinnacle Bank Arena on Saturday afternoon. The win was the Illini’s 11th straight since losing to the Cornhuskers when the programs first met back on Dec. 13 in Champaign. It was also Illinois’ second-straight road win against a top-5 opponent, following last weekend’s defeat of then-No. 4 Purdue at Mackey Arena.
Freshman guard Keaton Wagler had the second-highest scoring game of his college career, dropping 28 points, including 23 in the second half, to lead Illinois to the win. Illinois outscored Nebraska by 15 in the second half, flipping the momentum of the game after trailing by six at halftime.
“We’re just very excited because the first loss at State Farm (Center), we felt like we were better team, but we just didn’t play very well,” said junior center Tomislav Ivišić. “Since the loss of that game, we really went on a run. … We adjusted our defense, and since then, we just play with a lot of effort, a lot of tenacity. Now beating them just proves us that we are a better team.”
Ivišić twins impress early
Head coach Brad Underwood played his twin towers, junior centers Tomislav and Zvonimir Ivišić, together for much of the first half. The Ivišić’s were a key in sparking the Illini offense early on, especially when Wagler was not at his best.
Get The Daily Illini in your inbox!
“It gives us some options to really space it, but it also gives us the opportunity to play above people and over the top,” Underwood said about playing both Ivišić’s at the same time.
The twins were both perfect from the field in the opening 20 minutes, with Tomislav scoring 10 points and Zvonimir adding 7. While Zvonimir caught and dunked a couple of impressive lobs, Tomislav’s offensive versatility really stood out. He not only drilled a pair of threes in the first half, but balanced that out with a couple of buckets down low, showcasing an aspect of his game that has been relatively passive for much of this season.
Illini control the paint on both ends
With its twin towers and freshman forward David Mirković present on the floor at the same time, Illinois did a great job of not only scoring in the paint, but defending down low as well. Nebraska was making threes, but they could not seem to penetrate the paint in the first half, which was an intentional choice by Illinois. Their multiple-big lineup did not allow any easy buckets.
“We’re going to give up some threes, but we’re going to count on, you know, not giving up twos and not giving up the 100% shots as much,” Underwood said.
Illinois held Nebraska to just 4 first-half points in the paint and ended up outscoring the home team 28-18 down low. As opposing teams have gotten used to, the Illini were also extremely active on the glass, and they won that battle as well (29-21). Rebounding has been something that Illinois has relied on during its current stretch of success, and it’s been a major part of the recipe for staying undefeated on the road in conference play.
“You only win on the road if you can guard at a certain level and rebound at a certain level, and I think that’s the one thing we’ve been able to do at least in those last couple,” Underwood said.
Live by the three, die by the three
The Cornhuskers could not miss in the first half, knocking down 11 of their 20 3-point attempts. Pryce Sandfort and Braden Frager were the two biggest parts of that effort, each shooting 4 for 7 from deep in the first 20 minutes. The threes were coming in every which way – on the fast break, off of turnovers or just in the flow of the halfcourt offense.
“A really good three-point shooter is going to shoot 35 or 36%; you get one that’s unique like Pryce, and he was going to make 40,” Underwood said.
The three ball being knocked down at such a high rate kept the Illini on their heels early. A huge 14-2 Nebraska run heading into halftime included four treys that Illinois had no answer for.
However, when the Cornhuskers’ success from beyond the arc slowed after halftime, it allowed the Illini to get back in the game. Both teams shot at a similar rate from three, but Illinois outrebounded Nebraska, was more physical and got to the line much more (18 to five second-half free throw differential).
Last season, Illinois was in the same spot that Nebraska looked to be in after halftime – it could not close out games or find a way to win unless shots were falling. However, this year’s roster has hung its hat on adapting and being versatile. Even with Nebraska’s hot shooting early, Illinois stayed competitive in the first half. When the Cornhuskers’ shooting slowed down in the second, it was their downfall, and the Illini stepped on their throats.
“It’s every game for its own identity, and we’ve got to solve different problems,” Underwood said. “I think this team has tremendous problem-solving ability. I think our basketball IQ is pretty high.”
Wagler wakes up, dominates second half
After two fantastic performances against Purdue and Washington, Wagler was far from good in the first half against Nebraska. He only had 5 points on 2 for 9 shooting, but he didn’t let it faze him.
“I had a bad first half, but we were only down six at that time, and we knew that we weren’t playing our best, and I knew I had to step it up,” Wagler said. “But I wasn’t worried. I’ve had low-scoring first halves before, and I’ve come out and scored a lot in the second half. So I just kept doing what I always do. Just let the game come to me.”
After halftime, Wagler looked like his normal, dominant self, that has garnered national attention. He dropped 23 second-half points while only missing one shot. Wagler showed off his impressive range, drilling three triples in the final 20 minutes, but he also displayed his ability to get to the rim and absorb contact. He got to the line at a high rate, making 10 of his 12 second-half free throws.
Wagler has quickly established himself as the clear frontrunner for Big Ten Freshman of the Year and a serious candidate to win Big Ten Player of the Year. No freshman has ever won the conference’s highest honor, but Wagler has the resume thus far to do just that. However, there are still nine more games of Big Ten play for the Illini, and Underwood does not want Wagler or anyone else to focus on anything besides keeping his level of play consistent.
“Let’s just not go there yet,” Underwood said. “We’re halfway through. We got nine games to go. He’s playing great. Awards go to the teams that win, and we got a long way to go before we can even start talking about that kind of stuff. And I know he doesn’t give two rips. I just want him to keep playing well, keep playing with a smile on his face and playing with the joy that he plays with. And as long as he does that, all that other stuff will settle out at the end of the year.”
@sahil_mittal24
